


The Break

by Kinkykingliam



Series: Leo x Liam [2]
Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 02:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14070777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinkykingliam/pseuds/Kinkykingliam
Summary: Liam finds Leo and Riley on the beach, after his discussion with Constantine and Regina. Leo decides, that maybe its time for him to mend some old fences as well. Riley confesses to Liam why she rejected his proposal and Leo finds a drunk Drake, pestering him about Riley, as he gets drunk himself. With the Five Kingdoms Festival approaching in the upcoming weeks. Leo must decide where he needs to be.





	The Break

“I thought you were going for a walk?”

Liam smirks, as he sits down next to Riley. Wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. He looks at Leo briefly, squinting at him for taking his fiance twenty minutes away from the palace. Leo winks at him and they both let out a small laugh.

“What?” Riley says, looking back and forth in between them, confused.

“Nothing love” Liam says, kissing her forehead

“How’d your talk with King Daddy and Ice Queen go?” Leo grins

“Leo, Constantine and Regina have apologized to both Riley and I, for their behavior towards her. You don’t have to keep storming in to defend our honor” Liam chuckles

“I guess I just hold on to stuff from the past” Leo sighs

“Like what?” Riley asks, suddenly sitting up straighter

“Liam, the rumor mills are actually telling the truth for once. This woman is nosey!” Leo laughs, as Riley playfully swats at him

“Just stuff you already know about, the abdication, Madeleine. Some childhood memories I’d like to forget” Leo says

“Oh come on, I’m Miss. Cordonia’s-most-nosey, you gotta give me something.” Riley says enthusiastically

“Well, if you insist” Leo says, winking at Liam “When Liam and I were kids, I used to force him to wear four to five more layers of clothing. Then I’d give him a head start in the fields, before I’d hunt him down with a soft shelled gun.”

“Dear Lord, you’d hunt Liam?!” Riley snorts back a laugh

“Yes, he did, but continue Leo. Tell our lovely Riley here, how I exacted my revenge” Liam says with a smirk

“Anyways, Constantine would get so worked up about it, he made me let Liam do anything he wanted to me.” Leo stifles a laugh “So Liam chose to throw a knife at my head.”

Liam and Leo both laugh loudly, grunting, trying to catch their breath. After a moment, seeing the connection between them, Riley joins in as well. After a few minutes of rowdy, careless laughing, they all catch their breath.

“So did Liam miss his shot? Or is that why you have an uneven hairline?” Riley snorts

Leo’s eyes widen, as he pretends to panic, reaching up to his forehead.

“Nah, he missed. But that’s when I realized Constantine, favored Liam over me.” Leo grins

“What you didn’t know, my dear brother” Liam grins, pulling Riley onto his lap “Father knew something you didn’t. That I used to be weaker in my right arm then my left. That’s why he let me throw a knife at your head”

They both breakdown into a loud laugh again. Riley feeling Liam’s stomach move against her back as he laughed. She could feel him, totally relaxed. After a moment, Leo stands up.

“Well, this trip down memory lane has been wonderful” Leo smiles down at Liam and Riley, “But I should go and try to clear the air with Constantine and Regina.”

“See you later Leo” Riley says, waving goodbye to him

“Bye Leo” Liam says, turning his attention to Riley

Riley lifts her legs up and swings one over Liam’s lap. She straddles him, as he pulls her into him by her waist. Their foreheads touch for a moment, before Liam leans in and kisses her. The kiss deep and hungry, full of desire.

“You know, there’s a perfectly good clearing right next to us, King Kinky” Riley says with a wink

“King Kinky?” Liam says, cocking an eyebrow at her

“Just something I came up with, fitting, don’t you think?” Riley giggles

“Very and as much as I’d like to carry you over to that clearing, I’d actually like to head back to the palace. I’d like to discuss something with you” Liam says, a softness in his eyes.

“Alright, my King. If you insist.” Riley coos at him

He smirks at her, before leaning in for another kiss. He stands up, still holding Riley, before gently placing her down. She grabs her shoes and climbs into the limo with him. Once they’re driving, Liam turns to Riley.

“Riley, when we were in New York. You rejected my proposal, but you wouldn’t tell me why.” Liam sighs “Now that we are going to be married, would you tell me what your reasoning was?”

“Liam, it’s not important.” Riley says

“I understand that, but it is important to me.” Liam says, scooting closer to her “We are getting married, it’s a big step and I want us to be open with one another.”

Riley bites her lip, glancing away from Liam.

“Just, promise me you won’t be mad.” Riley says anxiously

“I could never be mad at you” Liam chuckles

“Well, first it was Drake, I thought…”

“First?” Liam cuts Riley off, a puzzled look on his face

“Liam, please.” Riley says

Liam pinches his fingers together, dragging them across his lips, as if there were a zipper there.

“First there was Drake. We spent so much time together. He’s so grumpy, its adorable to be honest with you. But, Maxwell brought me here, to get to know you. I admire you so much Liam. I couldn’t hurt you that way.” Riley sighs a little “Then Hana, oh my sweet Hana. My little macaroon. Oh, sorry…” She says blushing, seeing the amused look on Liam’s face “Anyways, Hana is so sweet. She spent a lot of time helping me. She taught me to dance, I can even play a few songs of the piano now. The forks still confuse the shit out of me, but she’s so patient and beautiful. How could I not crush on her?” Riley laughs a little.

Liam moves a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

“Is that it?” Liam asks softly

“Well, at one point, Maxwell. He is just so sweet. The time we spent at the Beaumont estate. It was a harmless crush, way more fleeting than everyone else. But he is charming, however, to be honest with you Liam. I don’t know how I would do seeing Maxwell’s hippo staring at me during, you know.”

They both let out a loud chuckle. Liam pulling Riley close to him and kissing her forehead.

“You are truly something else” Liam says softly

The limo pulls up to the palace. Coming to a slow, as Liam and Riley climb out. As they walk to the entrance, Liam suddenly pulls Riley back to him.

“Let’s go to the maze” He says, desire floating in his eyes

“Now?” Riley smiles

“Now” Liam says with a wink, as they run off past Bastien and into the maze.

Meanwhile, Leo leaves Constantine and Regina, entering his room, with only one thing on his mind. His mind is finally clear and he feels an uneasy sense of calm with Constantine. Something he hasn’t really felt with his father before. His mind drifts back to one thing.

Katie.

He hasn’t spoken to her all day, but decides that with some time apart, now would be a good time to speak to her. He reaches into his carry on, pulling his laptop out of his bag. He flops down onto the bed and opens the laptop. As he opens Skype, it suddenly dawns on him, just how nervous he is. There is a little green dot next to Katie’s icon, why is she up so late? He presses the camera icon, the screen ringing as he waits for Katie to answer.

“Hey you” Katie pops up on the screen, curled up in bed.

Leo can see the tv casting shadows on the wall behind her. The window is open, the curtains slowly swaying behind her. Katie always opened the windows at night. It drove Leo mad, but eventually gave in and stopped complaining.

“Hey baby girl” Leo smiles at her “How are you feeling?’

“Tired” She laughs, yawning at the end of it

“I know it’s late, I’m sorry.” Leo says

“Leo… I miss you” Katie says quietly

“I miss you too” Leo says

“Coming home tomorrow?” Katie asks

“Actually….” Leo says

“Are you serious? Leo, please tell me you aren’t serious” Katie says, her eyebrows furrowing at him

“Katie fly out, stay with me here. We don’t have to stay at the palace. We can rent a house or get a hotel room. Just come be with me.” Leo says, his voice a little shaky

“Leo, we have had this discussion before. I don’t want to uproot my life. My life is here. My family is here.” Katie says in a stern voice

“I understand. But my brother needs me here. I thought you considered me family. When did that change?” Leo asks

“Don’t do that, Leo. You are family. It’s different. You left your family! And now you want to go back, that’s not the life we talked about. We didn’t discuss a life in Cordonia.” Katie says sharply

“For fucks sake woman, did I say move here? Just come and be with me for a week or two.” Leo says, rubbing his forehead

“No. Not until we are being honest with each other.” Katie says, looking Leo directly in his eye

“You seem to be the one with something she wants to get off of her chest. Not me.” Leo says

Katie sighs. Leo can see the tears beginning to fill in her beautiful eyes. He feels bad for a moment. But he is ready for them to come full circle already.

“Why are you so angry all the time? The littlest things set you off.” Leo asks

“How would you feel, if you tried your hardest to achieve something and it just never happened? Over and over, you try and fail. Try and fail.” Katie begins to cry “I want us to have a family so badly, Leo.”

“You want a family, with me? The man whose in Cordonia, a place you refuse to go to anymore. I don’t understand that logic.” Leo says

“Of course you don’t. You don’t really want to have a baby. It would anchor you down even more than you already are.” Katie says, tears now staining the pillowcase.

“How can you think that? All we have talked about for months, is having a damn baby. Why do you think I married you? Because I…”

“Because you wanted to help me with my inheritance. My pretty face and willingness to bend over for you in swanky hotel rooms, probably didn’t hurt either.” She says, now visibly angry and upset.

Leo opens his mouth, but closes it just as fast. Shocked at what just came out of Katie’s mouth.

“Katie… I… “Leo stutters

“If you’re staying in Cordonia, I think we should just take a break until you get back. I can’t keep having this same argument. I can’t keep half living my life anymore.” Katie says, wiping her eyes with a tissue

“Katie, I want nothing more than for you to be happy. Even if its not with me. I mean that with every fiber of my being.” Leo says, a tear falling from his eye

“I just, I’m getting older. I don’t want to wait to do things. I have made myself very clear. This is where I want to be. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want.” Katie says, sighing

“But Katie, what about…”

“No.” Katie says sharply, cutting Leo off “We are not discussing him”

“Alright.” Leo says, blinking back the tears “Baby girl?”

“Yeah” Katie says, looking away from him

“I love you” Leo says

“Goodnight Leo” Katie says, quickly ending the video call

Leo slams the lid of his laptop down. Probably too hard, but he really doesn’t care right now. By choosing his brother, he drove Katie into another man’s arms. He pushes back the tears, threatening to spill from his eyes.

He gets up, pacing his room for a moment.

“Drake” He whispers under his breath

He storms out of his room. He passes a guard, asking for Drake. The guard directs him to the library. He flings the library doors open dramatically, spotting Drake near a bar cart in the corner. He quickly makes his way over, ignoring the annoyed looks from other nobles. He sits down in a leather chair across from Drake, grabbing a glass. He looks at Drake, whiskey in his hand.

“Good choice” Leo says, pouring whiskey into his own glass

He takes a sip. The whiskey warming his throat, before he downs the whole thing, slamming his glass on the bar cart. Drake arches an eyebrow at him, not daring to ask him what happened. After a moment, Leo gives in to the silence,

“So, what lady has you sitting in the library drinking, on a Friday night?” Leo says teasingly

Drake ponders for a moment. His head a little fuzzy from the whiskey. He looks up at the ceiling, squinting a little before he answers.

“What are you talking about?” Drake plays clueless

“Duchess Riley. What’s going on there?” Leo asks

Drake opens his mouth to deny any feelings for her, but his face betrays him. His cheeks lighting up like Rudolph’s nose on Christmas Eve.

“Ah, so there is something there. I mean, you did take a bullet for her” Leo grins

“I did that for Liam. I know how in love with her he is. He would be wreck if something happened to her.” Drake says, trying to make his blush go away.

“Sure, just like you are in love with her. For Liam though, right?” Leo smirks, knowing he is getting under Drake’s skin.

“So how’s your wife?” Drake snaps back at him.

“Fine” Leo says as his jaw tenses, his pupils focusing in on Drake’s face

“Does Liam know?” Leo asks

“That I have no feelings for his fiance? Of course” Drake grins

“Alright Drake. If I give a little, will you?” Leo grins

“Wow, Leo Rys, Mr. Compromiser” Drake teases “Sure, why the hell not.”

“Don’t be a dick” Leo grins, sipping his drink “What happened between you and Riley?”

“I don’t even know” Drake says, thinking back to the social season

“I don’t blame you. The woman is gorgeous.” Leo smirks

Drake’s cheeks betray him again. His face turning a bright red.

“Watch it.” Drake says, pressing his fingers into his glass

“Alright. Alright.” Leo says with a smirk, finishing off his whiskey

He reaches for another glass, this time pouring in vodka. He takes a sip, his face grimacing at the bitter taste of it.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to mix your drinks?” Drake says

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you there’s more alcohol than whiskey?” Leo snaps back

They sit in a comfortable silence for a minute. Before Liam walks up behind them, placing a firm hand on Drake’s shoulder.

“Are you two getting drunk without me?” Liam grins

“Nope, already drunk brother” Leo laughs

Liam pulls up a chair, sitting in between a drunk Leo and Drake.

“I actually, wanted to talk to you both about the upcoming Unity Tour for Riley and I.” Liam says, looking back and forth between them both

“You already know I’ll be attending” Drake mumbles

“A Unity Tour?” Leo smirks

“Yes, Leo. A Unity Tour to show Cordonia that we are not weak. That we are stronger than ever. Convincing the people to come to the Royal Wedding.” Liam states

“That sounds terrible.” Leo chuckles

“What would you do?” Liam asks, raising an eyebrow at Leo

“Probably just leave” Drake retorts, laughing under his breath

Leo glares at Drake. Unable to form a basic sentence. His face turning red.

“Leo, your advice please. Brother to brother.” Liam says, ignoring Drake

“This oughta be good” Drake says under his breath, lifting his glass up to his lips again.

Leo mutters something in Spanish to Drake. To which Drake glares at Leo, half wanting to know what he said, but not bothering to push it.

“I would go on your tour. But not begging the nobles. Go travel, visit foreign ambassadors. Get them to come. Keep the wedding private. Don’t put yourself or Riley in harm’s way again.” Leo smirks “We wouldn’t want Drake to have to take two bullets for Riley.”

Drake’s face tenses up, as he slams his glass onto the bar cart.

“Like you’re man enough to do the same” Drake snorts

“Drake, please.” Liam rests his hand on Drake’s shoulder

“I understand your viewpoint, but isn’t rallying here, at home more important?” Liam asks, his eyes drifting back to Leo

“I guess.” Leo says, leaning back into his chair “By the way, I’ll be joining the tour. The nobles should see us supporting each other.”

Drake chokes a little on his whiskey. Coughing for a moment, before regaining his composure.

“I agree. A show of support would be good.” Liam says

Liam and Leo watch, as Drake begins to break out into an uncontrollable laughter. Liam smiles, laughing lightly along with Drake. Leo finishes off his vodka and begins laughing too. Some nobles get up and leave, shaking their heads at the three on their way out. After a moment, Liam shakes his head. Sighing a little.

Drake stands up, slightly unsteady.

“Goodnight Liam” Drake slurs, as he stumbles out of the library

Liam and Leo look at one another. Before finally calming down, relaxing into their chairs.

“I’ll have my secretary send you the itinerary.” Liam says “You may also wanna buy more clothing”

“I’ll take it under advisement” Leo winks

Liam chuckles, before standing and leaving the library.

Leo thinks about Madeleine for the first time in a long time. He pulls out his phone, opening up a social media app, before he remembers that Madeleine blocked him years ago. He lets out a small laugh, followed by a sigh. He closes his eyes for a moment, before he opens them to see Liam and Riley, kissing in the hall outside of the library. Leo watches Riley. Her body language. Her perfect lips, quirked up into a smile. He sets his glass down, noticing the ring on her finger. Something inside him snaps. A pang of jealousy shooting through him. He thinks about the upcoming tour. All the time he will have to get to know her, to revisit other noble ladies.

‘This is gonna be interesting’ he thinks to himself


End file.
